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Ouvos and Bose Collaborate for a Safer, More Enhanced Cycling Experience

Getting on a bike can be daunting. Even with all the bells, lights, and whistles added to your bike, there is very little one can do against the unknown. More formally, how could an individual gain real time data on events happening across the city? How could our travels on a bike become more reactive to a change in the neighborhood rather than preventive? This is the interesting problem that Ouvos decided to tackle.

Ouvos is a community-based navigation app that allows cyclists to share real-time road conditions and receive hazard alerts. When we first launched the Beta app a year ago, we offered a simple way for cyclists to report bike lane obstructions as well as allow them to give the routes they travel a safety rating at the end of each ride. The goal was to test whether an interactive crowd sourced map was a solution to the problem.

The company spent the last year looking at ways to improve the user experience so that it was easier and safer for cyclists to use. We knew it was essential for cyclists to report hazards in a way that does not require them to come to a complete stop or look away from the road to interact with a screen on their mobile devices. That’s when we realized Bose Frames could help solve this important issue.

Bose Frames are a revolutionary audio wearable that combine the protection of premium sunglasses with the functionality and performance of wireless headphones. Their proprietary open-ear design allows cyclists to stay engaged in the world around them, while streaming important route information from the Ouvos app. A 9-axis head-motion sensor embedded in Bose Frames improves this experience even further. Working with the GPS data from the Ouvos user’s Apple or Android device, the sensor helps to identify a rider’s location and the direction they’re facing to provide more accurate route updates and to report hazards.

Cyclists just need to double-tap the right side of their Frames and follow a few voice commands to make a report – without having to stop or look away from the road.

Ouvos for iOS users with Bose Frames launches today in the App Store. Android availability is scheduled for May. The Ouvos app – now showcased in the Bose Connect app for Frames users – now also includes a “Buy Bose Frames” option. For more information you can visit https://www.ouvos.com/ouvos-and-bose-ar